yesterday 4/3 My big GWP went and died on me. I ran him for about an hour yesterday afternoon, fed him,4 PM everything was normal. About 830pm he acted like he wanted to throw up . around 9pm he began to cry like a baby. He was bloated could hardly make thu the doggy door. This went on until 1am I found him streached out on the bedroom floor,about 3am : found him 7am same position stiff as a board. He was 6 yrs old. never a health issue. could he have gotten some kind of poison. I run
the dogs in the rough on the golf course that I live on.. Never had a dog die like that before.

the dog died of bloat it sounds like. He evidently hd twisted his stomach and couldn't pass anything. This usually happens when you feed right before exercise or right after. Once it happens you have a short window to get them to a vet where he can operate and probably save the dog. Everyone just needs to know not to feed the morning of the day you are going to run them and try to wait 3 to 4 hours afterwards/

Gastric Dilation Volvulous (GDV) commonly called bloat is bad news. Its considered an extreme emergency at clinics and usually prioritizes over most all other patients for surgery. While it can be treatable, it's a tough and expensive recovery for most dogs. Although food/ water seem related there are still many many cases that do not relate directly to feeding time or exercise, thus vets are still unsure of all the details that can cause this.

Ezzy et al: curious about your comments concerning bloat. I'd never heard about not feeding until 4 hours after (which doesn't mean much, as there is plenty I haven't heard). Do you have any sources? I'm not doubting you, I just never believe anything...I always like to get corroborating info. the reason I'm questioning this is that I always feed right after a run, as I have read (from more than one source) that feeding some carbs after a hard run recharges the dog's energy better than waiting 3-4 hours.

I have heard from several sources (many in the lab community) not to feed within a few hours after exercise. I always do feed after running dogs, but usually several hours later. I never feed before running them. I have had a close friend loose two labs to bloat - it comes on quickly and is deadly. Dobermans are also a high risk dog. I can see where our hunting companions (the larger ones for sure) are built similarly to these breeds.

Probably the most informative presentation regarding sporting dog nutrition was from Dr. Arleigh Reynolds of Purina. NAVHDA used to have a video series available for members that was totally devoted to his research and results with extreme sporting dogs and nutritional needs. He specified optimal times to feed and if I recall, warned about feeding before and after rigorous exercise. He also recommended feeding once a day (evenings) because it takes several hours for the dog to digest the food to get the nutrients/energy stores to work for the dog. For example, if hunting or trialing the next day, the dog will be utilizing nutrients ingested the night before. Anything the dog would eat (of substance) that morning would simply sit in it's gut and intestines as added bulk. I'm sure that this presentation is still available in some form and could be found with a little research.

I inquired with a very successful NSTRA trialer/trainer (and he guided wild bird hunts when the season was in) once on how to feed a dog if multiple days of consecutive hard work was required from the dog. He responded to feed the dogs within 30 minutes of ending its work day and that 80% of their stamina would be replenished.